Of Man and Mystics
'''Of Man and Mystics '''is a series by Smasher51. It is mainly influenced by Japanese anime in its designs and fight scenes. Summary Of Man and Mysitcs takes place primarily in the Mystic Lands, a land that is normally shielded by the world in a magical barrier. Here, humans and several creatures from Japanese lore live in harmony, using magic in their everyday lives. The story centers around three protagonists. The first is Kenji, a kitsune. He only has two tails at the beginning of the story, but gains a third as the series progresses. He is considered headstrong for a kitsune and generally goes with his feelings more than the wisdom he as been taught. The second protagonist is Setsuna Ichario, a student and Kenji's charge. Setsuna is a magical prodigy and is always looking to improve. She generally has a difficult time balancing having adventures with Kenji and her normal studies. She is also somewhat mature for her age. The final protagonist is Akira. Akira starts out as a maid in the Itori household before circumstances force her and Kenji together. She is extremely loyal, and will always stand by her allies until the end. Story Backstory In ancient Japan, a human named Yami discovered the ability to manipulate interdimensional energies. He became surprisingly adept to these energies (deemed magic by the locals), and began single-handedly took over most of Japan. Meanwhile, in another solar system, several beings detected Yami's work on Earth, as they were highly adept in magic as well. Fearing that Yami's power was too great, they sent Amaterasu to investigate and stop Yami before his power destroyed the planet. Yami's power was underestimated, and Amaterasu could do nothing but seal away Yami's power throughout several places throughout the globe. Knowing that one day she would one day have to face Yami, she decided to bring several species from her own planet to raise an army to one day defeat Yami. These creatures were mostly hybrids and ghost-like creatures, and were interpreted as yokai, kami, and gods by the locals. Yami, in retaliation, granted what was left of his power to several individuals, hoping that their descendants would join his side in the final stand. The dragons that Amaterasu brought originally thought that humans, who Amaterasu had taken a fancy to, were useful allies. However, as they saw how proficient humans were at magic, some dreaded a day where humans would become too powerful and destroy the universe. Some of the dragons decided to begin attacking and destroying humans. Other dragons try and fight back, but nonetheless destroy villages and kill several people in their battles. The dragons for the human race come to a decision; have all the dragons sealed away in order to prevent all dragons from destroying Japan. Amaterasu and several individuals from the human and kitsune races work to seal the dragons (once again around the world), and relative peace returns to Japan. In the 19th century, Amaterasu finds that the world is becoming less adept to magic and that in order for the world to continue to develop magic would need to be removed from the equation. With Japan being the highest concentration for magic, Amaterasu gathers all the magic users to a valley and creates a barrier that would render it undetectable. The humans and creatures (called mystics) create a successful society and forget the outside world, except for occasional trips by select people who bring back tidbits from the Outside World. The valley in the barrier is named the Mystic Lands.